


You Are Safe

by carwood



Category: Band of Brothers
Genre: Anxiety, Comfort, Kissing, M/M, Panic Attacks, Vomiting
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-25
Updated: 2018-02-25
Packaged: 2019-03-23 22:42:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,118
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13797870
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/carwood/pseuds/carwood
Summary: Shifty finds Blithe in the woods, heart pounding and breathing fast.





	You Are Safe

**Author's Note:**

> hey yall, so i just wanted to say that this is a fic ive had sitting written for a while. i recently revisited it and i have decided to post it. i just wanna preface this by saying that mental illness isnt an “interesting trope” to make a fic more exciting. i wrote this bc i suffer from panic attacks. i get them weekly and because theyre such a big part of my life, i am bound to write about them. the panic attack described very closely reflects my own personal experiences. but everybody suffers from them differently, so this may not mirror what you know about panic attacks.

“Have you seen Blithe?” Shifty questions, not redirecting it to anyone in particular. Everyone in the room shakes their head no, besides Malarkey.

“I think I saw him head over to the barracks. Check for him along the path though, I’m not sure.” Malarkey shrugs. Shifty nods and thanks him.

The path back to the barracks is narrow, one side lined with buildings and the other with a thick forest. Shifty can hear the general commotion of all the soldiers, but his ears are trying to pick up other sounds. He stops dead in his tracks as he hears a shaky breath from behind the tree line.

Shifty carefully makes his way over. Thankfully the underbrush isn’t too thick and he sees him. Slumped against a tree, hands on his head, and eyes glazed over. He remembers the first time he saw Blithe like this. It was after their first week at Toccoa. Shifty had rounded a corner when something moved in his peripheral vision. It was late at night and the figure was tucked away in a shadow. He moves over slowly, eyesight adjusting to make out Blithe’s quivering body. He was there for him then, and would be there for him now.

“Blithe.” Shifty says softly, approaching him slowly. Blithe looks up and makes eye contact, only to drop his head back down from the amount of energy it takes to lift it. Every part of Blithe’s body feels like it weighs a ton, but at the same time was so fragile he could break apart in a strong wind.

Shifty knew about Blithe’s problem. Sadly, he also knew there wasn’t much he could do besides support him through it. Once he had started, there was no going back.

Shifty kneels down next to Blithe, gently resting his hands overtop Blithe’s shaking shoulders. Blithe was already starting to hyperventilate, and Shifty knew if he didn’t calm him down a little he would pass out. Shifty begins to sing quietly, a song from when he was younger. It brought him back to when he was a young boy, running around his house on a Sunday while his mother cleaned the house. She would start low and sweet, a soft melody that made all of his siblings stop their games and listen to her voice. Shifty knew he wasn’t doing it justice, but he could tell Blithe’s breathing was already slowing down.

“Can’t… breathe.” Blithe gasps out, feeling his windpipe close. Shifty removes Blithe’s hands from his face and replaces them with his own, gently moving them over the soft skin. Shifty leans forward and presses a kiss against Blithe’s forehead, holding his lips there for a moment.

“Do you want some water?” Shifty asks. Blithe can barely nod, but it's enough of a cue for Shifty to grab his canteen, unscrew it, and hold it up to Blithe’s lips. Blithe lets Shifty pour the water into his mouth, making sure it's slow as to not overwhelm him and have him choke.

“You’re gonna get through this, Al. It's only temporary. You are safe. You are safe. You are safe.” Shifty continues to repeat this, noticing how Blithe’s breathing was already returning to normal and that his shakiness had subsided slightly. Shifty wipes the sweat off of Blithe’s forehead with the back of his sleeve. He wishes he had something cool to help him, but in the sticky heat even his water was a lukewarm temperature.

“I’m okay.” Blithe nods, looking up at Shifty. “You can go now.”

Shifty looks back into Blithe’s light blue eyes, shaking his head. “I’m here with you. You know I’ll always be here for you.” 

Blithe shakes his head, letting out a very forced smile. “I’m fine, really.”

Shifty knew that was just Blithe’s anxiety talking and that he wasn’t leaving his side until Blithe was completely calm.

Blithe’s forced smile fades away quickly, as he turns away from Shifty and spills the content of his stomach all over the ground. Shifty gently rubs Blithe’s back and hands him the water canteen when he is finished. It was nothing new for Shifty to be there for Blithe during his panic attacks. 

Blithe slumps against Shifty, pressing his face into his chest. They sit like that for a few minutes, Shifty running his hands through Blithe’s hair and whispering sweet nothings to him.

“Are you okay to walk?” Shifty asks. 

Blithe nods, slowly making his way to his feet with Shifty supporting him the whole way. Once he is standing, Blithe wraps his arm around Shifty’s shoulder and lets him take some of the weight until they get back to the path. They continue to walk slowly, heading back towards the barracks. Shifty knew that Blithe needed his rest after he got sick. Blithe never talked about his feelings after, letting Shifty take care of him in silence. 

Shifty would always talk slowly and evenly, telling him stories that he heard from the other guys or one's from when he was a child. As they walk, Shifty tells Blithe about catching snapping turtles in a local pond. He was only about five or six years old when he started catching the small ones. Eventually, he worked his way bigger and bigger until he was selling them to one of the local chefs for almost $1.50 each. He told Blithe about the one time he got his finger caught in it's mouth, and how there was still a scar. He bled like crazy and ran all the way home to his mother, who gave him a glare not because he was reckless when catching them, but because he had dripped blood onto his new shirt. 

They reach the barracks, and Blithe’s feet automatically move him to his own cot, flopping down in exhaustion. There was nobody in the building, and there probably won’t be for another four or five hours so Shifty lays down next to Blithe. It's a tight squeeze, but they manage to both fit without either falling off. Blithe has his eyes closed, knowing taking in too much stimuli could make him vulnerable for another attack. 

Shifty made sure not to overwhelm Blithe, asking first before leaning in for a kiss. Blithe feels his body relax even more as their lips connect. They move their mouths slowly against each other, slipping tongues into mouths as the kiss becomes more passionate. 

“Thank you.” Blithe whispers against Shifty’s lips.

“It’s never a problem.” Shifty says, pulling their bodies even closer together. He pulls away and ghosts his lips over Blithe’s jaw and neck before moving back to his lips.

“I love you.” Blithe whimpers, letting himself be pulled back into the kiss.


End file.
